The Simplicity, Complications, and Experiance of Life
by BowChickaBowWoww
Summary: Change is going to come, whether the students of Hogwarts want it to or not . Rose isn't going to be just a bookworm, Albus isn't going to be timid forever, maybe James won't be so prideful, and perhaps Scorpius will learn to love. Either way the four, plus more, will tell the story of their fights, relationships, adventures, etc. This is the story of them... the Next Generation.
1. The Sorting

**Chapter 1**

_Albus' POV_

"Where do you think you'll get sorted?" Rose asked while finally putting down the book she was reading.

She had been reading for the past two hours! James, Lysander, and Dominique had left us alone for the time being. So here am I am, nervous and about to hypervinlate and she's reading a book instead of trying to comfort me! Honestly, has she no feelings?!

Merlin, I sound like a little girl.

"I don't know," I admitted, "Dad says it doesn't matter where… but I'm leaning towards Gryffindor," I told her, shaking my hair out of my eyes.

Rose's blue eyes nodded and looked out the window, and then back at me, "My dad will probably disown me if I'm placed in a house that's not Gryffindor!" She smiled, "Merlin, imagine his face if I get sorted into Hufflepuff? Or _Slytherin? _I might as well get used to not having a head!"

We laughed and I sighed, putting my head back, "I hope I get Gryffindor, that way, I'll be with the family. I don't think I would survive in any other house," I muttered.

Rose leaned forward and ruffled my hair, "I'm sure you'll be fine wherever you're placed, Al," she reassured me and looked out of the compartment. "Have you seen Lucy?"

I shook my head, "I'm not even sure I saw her on the platform," I told her.

Rose frowned and tucked a red strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm going to look for her."

I jumped up, "I'll come with you!"

She shook her head, stepping out of the compartment, "And then what, come back and it's filled with students? I don't think so. Save our seats," with a huff she exited the compartment.

I crossed my arms, annoyed, and leaned back. After a couple of minutes, I heard loud banging out in the hall and was about to investigate, when two students barged into my compartment, scaring me half to death. The two shut the door, slid on the floor, and pulled down the curtains, breathing heavily with wide grins on their faces.

One of the students was a boy with slicked back blonde hair, pale skin, and grey eyes; the other was a girl with short brown hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. They seemed to notice me for the first time and scrambled up, their expressions heavily with guilt.

I stared at them, wide-eyed, and said, "Um?"

The boy cleared his throat and stuck out his hand, "Scorpius Malfoy," he greeted and I shook his hand.

The girl grinned and set her hands on her hips, "Amelia Zabini, at your service!" she exclaimed, throwing her dark hair behind her shoulder.

"Albus Potter, pleased to meet you," I said, wondering how they would react when they heard my name. I hoped they wouldn't run away in fear, like another kid did on the platform.

"Potter?" Scorpius repeated and glanced at Alice.

"_Scorpius and Amelia you better get your arses out of there!_" Someone banged on the compartment door and the two intruders panicked.

"Trouble?" I asked, trying to see who was banging on the door through the curtain, but to no avail.

"My brother," Amelia snickered, "We played a little prank on him… I think he's upset."

Suddenly the banging stopped and the three of us looked at each other confused. Amelia and Scorpius shared a terrified look.

"_Alohomora_," I recognized that voice.

The door swung open revealing a curious Rose with her wand in her hand, a confused Lucy, and a furious boy. The only way I could tell the boy was related to Amelia is because of their eyes, both had the same, almond shaped hazel eyes. Other than that, they didn't even look related. Alice's brother had black thick hair in a buzz cut, dark skin, and high cheek bones.

It took me a few seconds to realize he was soaking wet.

"Vincent… Fancy seeing you here," Amelia nervous smiled, trying to act casual.

"You're lucky I left my wand back in my jumper," He said through gritted teeth, glaring at both Scorpius and Amelia.

"Sorry, mate, it was just a joke," Scorpius clapped his hand on Vincent's shoulder and took it back after Vincent shot him a murderous glance.

"Here, I think I can help you dry off," Rose said, looking unsure. I was surprised. Rose was usually very quiet among others. "We can't get in trouble for doing spells…right?" she asked us, glancing at everyone. Her gaze lingered on Scorpius before heading back to Vincent.

"You've already done one, might as well do another," Vincent shrugged, smiling slightly.

Rose cracked a smile and narrowed her eyes, "You're only saying that because I'm going to help you. Okay," she took a deep breath and pointed her wand at Vincent, using both hands and her feet spread apart, "_Ventus._"

A strong gust of wind erupted from her wand, making her stumble back a few steps, but Lucy steadied her as she dried off Vincent. It didn't take more than a few minutes. Vincent, now completely dried, grinned.

"Vincent Zabini," he said, shaking her hand.

"Rose Weasley," Rose gestured to Lucy, "This is Lucy, my cousin, and over there is Al-"

"I'm Albus," I finished, standing up and shaking his hand.

Amelia her arm around Vincent, smiling wide at Rose and Lucy, "I'm Amelia, his sister. We're twins," she announced.

I looked at her curiously, "Twins?" I repeated.

She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling, "Fraternal, obviously."

Scorpius looked slightly annoyed, like Amelia did this all the time, "I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy."

He eyed Rose suspiciously and Rose turned uncomfortable when he introduced himself. Lucy did, as well. I cleared my throat, feeling the tension in the air rise. Scorpius stepped out the compartment, looking down the hall.

"I think we're going to be arriving soon; others are getting changed," Scorpius said, smoothing down his hair.

Amelia gasped, "Oh no, I don't even know where I put my robes…" She dashed away with Vincent chasing after her, yelling something about getting her back.

Scorpius grinned, nodded at all of us, and followed him, avoiding bumping into another student. Rose and Lucy stepped into the compartment. Lucy was like Rose, except a little quieter. Her hair was a short light brown mixed with light shades of red, her eyes green, and freckles thrown across her fair skin.

"That was… Interesting," Lucy stated, biting her lip. "That was Draco Malfoy's son, wasn't it?"

I nodded, "I think so," I said, and looked out the window. It was dark out and I think I could see the castle.

"My father told me he isn't to be played around with," Rose mumbled, "Scorpius, I mean."

"Are you really going to listen to him?" I asked with an eyebrow raised, "Is it because of his dad he said that? Rose, look at who our parents are… I doubt we should be the ones to judge others."

Rose merely shrugged and turned her attention to the window. With a roll of my eyes, I did too.

* * *

The train came to a stop and I could hardly contain my anxiety and excitement. Lucy, Rose, and I followed the other first years outside the train and stood in front of an abnormally tall, very hairy, familiar face. Hagrid.

"Alright, first years, follow me. We're taking the boats to the castle," he gestured for us to follow him, heading over to a black lake that turned into a river and lead into the castle.

The three of us, plus two others, settled into a small boat. We were all clearly afraid to fall into the black water; you couldn't even look through it. It was literally pitch black. Rose grabbed onto my as the boat lurched forward and followed the other bundle of boats behind us.

We couldn't see much, clouds were covering the moon so it was pretty dark. We heard strange animals and rustling in the bushes we passed by. I swear, I even saw a head poke out of the water, but Rose told me it was just my imagination.

Finally, we reached land and it took us a couple of minutes to get settled into a building. Neville Longbottom, a familiar teacher at Hogwarts, met us before the Great Hall. I longed to see it; my father told me so many stories about it. Longbottom told us about each house. He said Hufflepuff is for kind and fair. Ravenclaw is for quick-witted and students have a thirst for knowledge. Gryffindor is for those who have heart of gold and a brave mind. Finally, Slytherin, which is for ambitious, cunning folk who value self-preservation and power.

I was extremely nervous at that point.

He disappeared behind the doors and a few seconds later, the doors opened, revealing the Great Hall. The ceiling was high and matched the night skin, complete with stars and the moon. The walls were a rich, bronze color and decorated in a fancy, grand way. There were four long tables, all filled with older students sitting in their robes, sizing us all up. Ahead was a long table filled with teachers and a stool with a strange hat sitting on it?

Next to the stool was the new Headmaster, Headmaster Nicolas Solomon. He was a tall man with brown hair mixed with a few gray strands. His hands were behind his back and he studied us all, a look of amusement on his face.

We stopped before him as he introduced himself. He told us all about the background of each house, sort of dulling my excitement. History wasn't my thing. Rose on the other hand, had her hands pressed together and was bouncing on her houses. Lucy was rigid, staring straight ahead with her hands at her sides. I looked at the Gryffindor table, spotting James, Freddie, Molly and a few others of our family.

"And now we will start the Sorting Ceremony," Headmaster Solomon announced and I drew my attention back to the hat. Solomon held a long scroll in his hand and called out a name, "Jason Abbot?"

A short boy with blonde hair nervous stepped forward and slowly walked to the stool. He sat down and the old hat was placed on his head. After a brief moment, the strange hat opened it's… Mouth? Yes, it's mouth and announced,

"Ravenclaw!" With a jump, he stood and practically skipped to the Ravenclaw table, who cheered loudly.

"Annabel Brown?" Solomon called and tall girl stepped forward.

After a few seconds, the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" and the Gryffindor yelled and cheered.

Several more students were called, most going to Gryffindor, a few to Hufflepuff, a bunch to Ravenclaw, and a handful to Slytherin. Us first years standing up were now cut in half, each and every one of us silent, trying not to let our anxiety get the best of us.

"Scorpius Malfoy?"

A few people whispered about him and gave him wary stares. He calmly walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat was barely on his head before proclaiming he most definitely belonged in Slytherin. With a half smirk, he went over to his table.

A few names were called and then, "Arianna Pock?"

A shaking brunette sat on the stool, and the hat almost immediately shouted, "Gryffindor!"

With a drop in my stomach, I realized I could be next. I closed my eyes, hoping the Headmaster wouldn't call my name. I wasn't ready yet, my thoughts were scattered. If he called my name, would I even remember how to move my legs?

"Albus Potter?" Headmaster Solomon called out and my heart stopped.

"Merlin, I jinxed it," I muttered and Rose nudged me.

I remembered how to walk once I took my first step. Whispers broke out through the tables and teachers studied me intently. My hands clenched and unclenched as I made my way through the small crowd and stepped up to sit on the stool. Solomon glanced at me curiously before placing the hat on my head.

"_Oh, another Potter? Didn't I have one of you just last year?" _It said and I jumped, surprised that his voice rang in my head. "_You are different than your brother. You have a stronger need to prove yourself. You have ambition and a brave heart. You are a determined boy, are you not? And for your efforts and actions of being a boy who knows how to get what he wants…_

Slytherin!"

My heart stopped. Another wave of whispers broke out and it took Slytherin a few seconds to realize where the hat had placed me before they erupted into loud cheers, all of them standing up. _The hat is never wrong, _my dad's words repeated in my head and I stood, holding my chin up. I walked over to the Slytherin table, smiling slightly and shaking a few students hands as they greeted me. I sat across Scorpius, who smirked at me.

"Potter, it's great to have you in our house," a girl with long black hair said, shaking my head, "I'm Jenny Flint, Slytherin's Head Girl. If you need any help, come to me, or if anyone is bothering her. Down there's Bernard Jacobs, he's the Head Boy. You can go to him, as well."

I grinned, "Thank you, I will."

A few other first years greeted me and as someone got placed into Gryffindor; my eyes met James, who studied me carefully. I couldn't read his expression, which scared me. My brother was always readable. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned my attention back to the Sorting Ceremony, where another girl got placed into Hufflepuff.

"Lucy Weasley?"

Lucy, as shy as ever, slowly went up to the chair. With a blush creeping on her cheeks, the hat called out Hufflepuff. She sent an apologetic look to Rose and skipped off to her table

"Rose Weasley!"

Rose, as fearless as ever, went up the stool with her chin high. The hat was on her head for a few moments before sorting her into Gryffindor. With a satisfied smile, she skipped over to the cheering Gryffindors, and the students near her gave her pats on the back. Something told me I might lose Rose, my best friend since we were born, but when she met my eyes and gave me a sly smile, I knew I hadn't.

Only a few more names were called before there were only two first years left.

"Amelia Zabini?"

Amelia, with a nervousness I didn't see on the train, shakily sat down on the stool. Scorpius and I watched her closely. The hat was on her head for a quite a while.

"Gryffindor!"

She shared the same astonished look as Scorpius and her brother. The Gryffindor table cheered and she walked to the table, right after running down and giving her brother a tight hug. She sat next to Rose, who smiled at her.

Vincent was called and the hat was on his head for a minute. Scorpius frowned at him, probably thinking he wasn't going to be placed into Slytherin.

"Slytherin!"

Vincent looked at Amelia shortly before heading to our table. Scorpius grinned and punched Vincent's shoulder as he sat next to me. Finally, the Sorting Ceremony was over. Headmaster Solomon recited a small speech and with a clap of his hands, loads of food appeared on the tables. We all dived in, all of us starving.

After talking to everyone and having several conversations with Vincent and Scorpius, I figured that Slytherin wasn't so bad. If I was placed here, that meant I belong here… and looking around, I decided I had no problem with that.

* * *

**Tell me what you think? Any suggestions on POVs I should do?**


	2. The Normality

**Chapter 2**

_Rose's POV_

I crossed my arms, glaring at a small animal sent by the devil himself. The small animal stared back at me, blinking every few minutes. I could've sworn the feline smirked at me as it trudged over to the window. On the next bed, looking through her things was Amelia, who laughed at me.

"Rose, you're freaking out Lisa's kitty," she told me, finding her tie and tying it around her collar.

"The little creature is taunting me!" I groaned and studied my hand, which was full of scratches. "The thing hates me."

Amelia laughed even more, "Maybe you shouldn't have grabbed her like that! Cat's have feelings, even one as _evil _as Chinks." Amelia held her hand out, and the small Persian cat slowly went over to her and rubbed its head against her hand.

I rolled my eyes and stood, shaking my head. "I'm going down for breakfast, are you coming?" I asked, waiting by the door.

Amelia and I had grown significantly close since our Sorting into Gryffindor a few weeks ago. She was a nice girl, and quite a daredevil. Very… opinionated, she was, you could say. She already got into an argument with a Ravenclaw who insulted her intelligence. Let's just say it didn't turn out so well…

For the Ravenclaw girl, I mean.

"Yeah, give me a sec," she muttered, writing a few things down. She was doing her History of Magic homework, which was due in a few hours. With a satisfied smirk she set the paper down, "There, it's perfect. Let's go, I'm starving."

We walked through the common room, meeting up with Ross Liard, and a first year, like us. Amelia ruffled his brown hair as she passed him and I laughed as he struggled to fix it. His dark eyes narrowed at her, and attempted to trip her. A second later she lightly pushed him into the wall with a loud laugh.

We entered the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. I grabbed a slice of toast and scrambled eggs. The three of us ate, talking about our first class of the day, Charms. A familiar Slytherin slid next to me and took a sip of my drink, while I protested.

"You can get your own breakfast," I told him, pulling my plate close to my body.

Albus grinned, "I already did," he laughed.

"Then why take mine!" I complained and he shrugged, keeping the grin on his face.

Vincent slid next to Amelia and Scorpius next to Vincent. I greeted Vincent and nodded at Scorpius, who barely acknowledged me. After the first week of school, we realized we were both trying to be top of the class… It's safe to say we have a bitter rivalry going on.

"As I was saying," Amelia started, "Solomon has it out for me! A few outbursts in class and he thinks he has to keep an eye out for me! He says I'm troublesome, can you believe that?!"

"Yes, actually, I can," Ross muttered and she glared at him as we laughed.

"I will hex you into next week, Liard!" She exclaimed, and he laughed at her empty threat.

I jumped as hands slipped over my eyes, blocking my sighed. My hands flew to remove the hands but they were firm and showed no signs of moving.

"Aw, come on, who is it?" I groaned. I heard a snicker and instantly knew who it was, "Lysander!"

Lysander groaned and sat next to me, "How did you know it was me?" he asked, smoothing down his yellow-blonde hair.

I rolled my eyes, "I know you're evil little laugh," I told him.

"My laugh is not evil! Or little!" He argued.

"Yes, it is," James came around and looked at Scorpius and Vincent warily, "Do you have puppies to go torture?"

Scorpius narrowed his eyes at James, "Can you be insufferable somewhere else, you bloody prick?"

James' eyes hardened until Albus stood, "Alright, guys, calm down. I'll see you in Charms, Rose, Amelia," Albus nodded at us and left with both Scorpius and Vincent.

James sat down next to Amelia, taking a sip of my drink. I rolled my eyes and let take him. After Albus got sorted into Slytherin, James made a big deal about it and got into an argument with Albus. Fortunately they made up after a week of not talking; I don't think I could handle their constant bickering.

"Oh, Lorcan, we have to get to class," James sighed and got up, "Oi, where's Dom? She told me to wait for her but I completely forgot."

"I think I saw her in the common room," Amelia told him.

"Thanks, Amelia," James grinned and gestured for Lorcan to follow him.

"Bye, Rose!" Lorcan called before he ran out with James.

"Maybe we should get to class, too," Ross said, looking at the students exiting the Great Hall.

"Good idea," I breathed and the three of us hurried to Charms.

* * *

"Uh, I don't think you did it right," I told Albus, laughing.

Amelia was trying not to laugh as we stared at the tip of Albus wand, which was a bright red. Albus frowned at his wand waving it around, trying to get the color off. Scorpius was beside Albus chuckling and shaking his head.

"Mate, Weasley knows what she's talking about," Vincent laughed, "I think you overcharged it."

I glanced at him, smiling and looked at Albus, "Use the counter charm," I told him.

"Which is…?" He asked, looking embarrassed.

"Merlin, Potter, what do you learn in class? Even I know!" Amelia giggled.

"_Nox, _Al," Scorpius told him.

Albus sighed, looking at his wand, "_Nox._" The tip of his wand went back to normal. "_Lumos!_"

To his surprise, the tip of his wand lit up, casting a yellow-green glow. We applauded him and he smiled proudly. Professor Flitwick watched us with amusement and nodded at Albus once he got it right. Then, class was over. Amelia and I met up with Lisa for History of Magic.

At History of Magic, I took my place at the front and copied down the notes written on the board. Every few minutes I would raised my hand to answer a questions, and a Slytherin would cough out an insult, and I would ignore it. Amelia, of course, would threaten to kick their arse after class. A few seats down was Scorpius, silently taking notes and studying the board intently. As I watched him take everything in, I realized I would have to work a lot harder if I was ever going to be first in class, because the boy showed potential.

I answered another question, and cleared my throat as another Slytherin called out, "Uptight know-it-all!"

"Nott, I suggest you shut your insufferable mouth before I punch you, _again_," Vincent growled, turning around and glaring at Chris Nott.

I looked at Vincent, suprised. Nott, however, wasn't backing down. "What's this Zabini? Defending a little Gryffindor?" he sneered, his green eyes glaring at Vincent and then flickering to me.

"Well, if you stupid enough to insult someone else's intelligence, I guess so. Just because you're brain is the same size as a rat's doesn't mean you have to take it out on someone a lot brighter than yourself," Vincent said, sounding annoyed and impatient.

The class was silent. Nott muttered something about Vincent being a prick. "Thanks," I whispered to Vincent who shrugged and stared ahead. Scorpius eyed Vincent warily and then continued taking notes.

After class, Amelia and I found Lucy and the four of us (Lucy, Lisa, Amelia, and I) sat outside, despite the cold weather. They questioned me about Vincent, but I had no answers so they dropped it. We sat and talked till dinner time, and once dinner rolled around, we dug into the food, starving as always.

And this is how it went for a few months.

* * *

The air was chilly but the sun shined down on the quidditch pitch, giving us warmth. Amelia and I cheered loudly the Gryffindor team flew around the pitch, and booed when Hufflepuff came out. It was nearly the end of March and school was bringing us all down, so much work to do… we were all overwhelmed. This quidditch match was sure to distract us from our stress.

Amelia and I had painted out faces red and gold. Beside us were Lucy and her dorm mate, cheering on for their house. We had dragged Albus, Vincent, and Scorpius along since they made us go to the Slytherin Match. The crowd was roaring so loud I could barely hear myself think.

I had to listen closely to hear the commentator yell, "_And the game begins!_"

Chasers, beaters, and keepers flew about, dodging bludgers and hitting the quaffle. The two seekers, a third year, Molly Weasley in Gryffindor and a fourth year Hufflepuff, hovered patiently, looking around for the snitch.

Amelia and I stomped our feet as Hufflepuff gained the lead. The boys laughed at us, and we glared at them.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Vincent asked me and I had to lean in close to hear him.

I studied the players and looked at the scoreboard, "I honestly down know, Hufflepuff has been undefeated for the past, what, two years? They're good… I'll have to cross my fingers for Gryffindor to win this one! They haven't been doing so well." I explained and stopped myself before I started rambling.

"They need a new keeper," Vincent told me and, as if on cue, the quaffle went right past the keeper.

"Come _on _are you serious! Maybe if we had a _good _keeper we'd win a bloody game!" I yelled and other Gryffindor's around me agreed. I looked back at Vincent, who looked amused. I grinned, "I know. And the beaters are doing a rubbish job." I shook my head.

"The Gryffindor seeker has spotted the snitch and the chase begins!" The commentator sounded excited.

I turned my attention back to the game and cheered on Molly, who was close to wrapping her hand around the snitch. She was about to grab it, when a rogue bludger hit up from the under and with a painful cry she crumpled to the ground. The Hufflepuff's seeker got the snitch.

"Hufflepuff wins!"

My eyes were on Molly, who had fallen to the ground. Beside me, Lucy's eyes were wide. I grabbed Lucy's arm and we ran down from the stands with Albus close behind us. We went out to the pitch and next to Molly, who was groaning in pain. A crowd was around her, and mix of Weasley's.

"Molly, are you okay? What hurts?" Lucy asked, frowning at her sister.

"Everywhere," she groaned.

I noticed her arm bent and a strange angle and my stomach churned. I ran off to the side and vomited my breakfast. Amelia appeared next to me and rubbed my back. She handled me a water bottle and I rinsed my mouth.

"That is not a pretty sight," Scorpius clicked his tongue as he approached us with Vincent.

"Shut it, Malfoy," I breathed, trying not to seem too embarrassed.

Vincent chuckled, "I'm guessing seeing broken bones makes you queasy?" he asked, looking back at Molly, who was being carried off to Madam Pomfrey.

"That's an understatement," I groaned righted myself, "I think I'll go see if Molly is okay, and then sleep."

"Is Molly your cousin?" Amelia asked me.

I nodded, "Yes, so is Albus, Lucy and James and about a quarter of Gryffindor."

The other's laughed and Scorpius' eyes widened, "You and Albus are cousins?" he asked, surprised.

We all stopped and looked at him, "Malfoy, you're a git. Of course we are," I told him.

He rolled his eyes and pushed past me, walking ahead. I saw James ahead with Dom and Fred, looking angry. I frowned and headed over to them as they looked around.

"Um, guys? What are you doing? Tell me you're not looking for the prick who hit Molly," I crossed my arms.

Dominique waved me away, "Shove off, Rosie. This is none of your business."

I glared at her. Ever since she started her third year, this year, she's been a snobby brat. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair and spotted whoever she was looking for.

"Rose, we're not going to get in trouble, don't worry," Fred reassured me and promptly turned around and raced after a Hufflepuff player, with James and Dom at his heels.

He lied, of course.


	3. The Engagement

**Chapter 3**

_James' POV_

Detention for three weeks for beating up Benard Thomas. Honestly, I thought it'd be worse. Thankfully, I only had a few detentions left. I had just finished mopping the kitchens when I ran into Arianna Pock. Her brown eyes looked at me curiously, keying me then the kitchen.

I laughed nervously, "I have to clean the kitchens as detention," I told her, "I'm not sneaking food or anything."

She raised an eyebrow, "Really? Cause I was about to sneak some food right now…"

"Oh," I answered dumbly.

Call me James Sirius Potter, king of talking to girls.

"Would you like to join me?" she asked, smiling.

I did something between nodding and shrugging. She laughed and walked past me into the kitchen. I followed her, smiling. We went into the freezer and took out a large bucket of ice cream.

"Vanilla or chocolate?" She asked me, taking out two cups.

I thought about it, watching her take several spoonfuls of vanilla and put it in her cup. When she finished, she looked at me expectantly.

"Vanilla," I responded.

"Good choice," she grinned at me and proceeded to put vanilla in my cup.

We walked out of the kitchens eating our ice cream. Curfew was in ten minutes so we slowly headed back to the common room. We walked in silence, eating our ice cream and hoping no professors walked by. We were about to go up the stairs when two Slytherins ran by and almost knocked Arianna down. Two very familiar Slytherins.

"Al! Malfoy! Watch where you're going!" I yelled out and Al groaned and turned around.

Scorpius stopped too, looking impatient. Albus looked at Arianna, and then back at me. He raised an eyebrow but apologized and the two took off running. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Arianna, who was trying not to smile.

"Sorry, my brother and his friend are pricks," I sighed, shaking my head.

"No worries, let's go before we get caught. I'm sure curfew passed by now," she breathed and then we were the ones running.

We saw Solomon walking and picked up speed until we reached the common room.

"Well, that was interesting," I said as we entered the common room. We had barely escaped Headmaster Solomon.

Arianna laughed and nodded, "I should go finish up homework now…," she said, inching away.

"Have fun," I told her and she rolled her eyes and grinned at me before going up to her dormitory.

"I didn't you talked to girls, James," Fred laughed and high-fived Dom who laughed.

"Shut-up, Freddie, the only girls you talk to are our cousins," I muttered and the few people that were in the common laughed.

Fred didn't say anything as his face reddened and Dom laughed hysterically. I was sort of jealous of Al; he probably wasn't getting teased by our cousins in his common room, considering none of them are in Slytherin.

It bothers me, really, how one in about eight students I'm related to. There's Molly and Dom, third years in Gryffindor. Her sister, Lucy, first year on Hufflepuff. Fred who's in my year and in my house. Victoire is in her seventh year and in Ravenclaw. Louis would be a first year next year and in two years Lily, Hugo and Roxanne. Let's not forget Rose and Albus. I'm surprised we're not related to Lorcan and Lysander, who are also in my year. Although Lysander's in my house and Lorcan is in Ravenclaw.

"James? You okay?" Rose suddenly appeared before me, looking worried. "You look… I don't know, angry?"

I sighed, running my hands through my hair, "I'm fine, Rose." I tried not to sound annoyed but I cause I didn't hide my annoyance too well because she gave me an offended look and walked off.

Space is what I need. Lots of it.

* * *

"You're barely thirteen and you want an apartment?" My mum raised an eyebrow at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Mother, I feel suffocated in this house! No one ever leaves me alone, there are always people in my room and… I would just like time to myself once in a while, or to hang out with my friends!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the arm.

I was sitting in the kitchen with my parents and pitched the idea of me moving out. They think I'm joking. School ended a few weeks ago and I've just about had it with everything.

"Aren't you and Freddie friends? He's coming later, you know," My dad told me, his tone slightly confused.

I tried not to glare at him and instead narrowed my eyes, "I want to hang out with my _friends, _dad, not my cousins," I replied, not hiding the annoyance in my voice.

"Oh," my mum turned to my dad and they seemed to be talking in each other's heads. She turned back to me, slightly unsure, "Would you like to go over your friends' house? Maybe bring them here?"

"That would be a lot less work than moving out," my dad added, making my mom smile.

"That works…," I told them casually, hiding my excitement.

My mum stood, "Good, but save that for another day, your lovely cousins are coming over today. Fix your face, young man, before I slap a smile into it," she warned, giving me an empty threat.

I pretended to smile until she left and looked back at my dad. We stood in silence and he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I'll just be, uh, going," he said and left the kitchen.

"Our cousins aren't that bad," Albus said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing an apple from the fridge.

I rolled my eyes, "You don't have to see them _all _the time. At least there's one perk of being in Slytherin," I sighed.

Albus looked offended, "there are plenty of perks of being in Slytherin! For one, beating you Gryffindor lot in quidditch," he smiled proudly and took a bite out of his apple.

"You won by ten points, calm down. Hufflepuff destroyed you anyway," I scoffed.

"Hufflepuff is undefeatable…" Albus tried to make the loss of his team seem not that bad.

I smirked, "Not anymore, Molly told me she's giving up the seeker position. Guess who's going to try out once school starts?"

Albus' eyes widened, "Why? She's a terrific seeker!" he argued.

I shrugged, "She said something about wanting to keep her bones attached and she's focusing on something else, she didn't tell me what."

"Do you think Finnigan will give you her spot?" Albus asked.

"I hope so. I've been practicing with Molly since school ended. She says I have a good shot," I said.

I really did hope I got seeker. I've been waiting to play quidditch but I knew Eva Finnigan would choose Molly before me. Molly isn't a problem anymore. I was suddenly wishing school would begin next week, instead of in six weeks.

The chatter in the living room suddenly increased and I groaned.

"Looks like the family is here," Albus grinned at my discomfort and left the kitchen.

I sighed and followed him. I greeted everyone and then sat on the couch with Fred, Al, Dom, Molly, and Rose. Victoire was missing; rumor has it she was off in France somewhere with Teddy for the summer. The other kids went outside to the backyard. The five of us talked about school and quidditch.

Godric's Hollow was a mess. Honestly, I enjoyed every moment being with my family.

"James, you're so lucky!" Rose brought me out of my thoughts, "You get to go to Hogsmeade this year."

"It's not _all _that great," Dom rolled her eyes.

Fred played with his brown curls, "Oh, please, you just saying that because you don't find anything all that great," he mumbled. He jumped out of arms length before she could punch him.

"You're getting me sweets from Honeydukes, right?" Albus nudged me, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, "I think about it."

"I miss the Hufflepuff common room," Molly sighed, leaning back into the couch, "It's so peaceful there. Loud noise makes my head hurt."

"I miss the food," Fred groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"I miss the classes, am I the only one that finds Potions remarkable?" Rose jumped in, sitting up straight. The rest of us groaned, making her blush, "What? Is it bad I enjoy school?"

"Oh, we enjoy school, it's just bad that you enjoy _learning_," Al scoffed.

Rose crossed her arm, "Hmph, there's nothing wrong with learning."

"You've got that right, Rosie," Rose's mom laughed as she entered the living room.

"Aunt Hermione, when are we going shopping?" Dom asked, turning into the sweet girl she wasn't.

Hermione smoothed down Dom's hair and Rose gasped, "Mother! I thought just you and me were going shopping!"

"Quiet dear, Dom can come along. How about we make this a girl's thing? Molly, you can come, so can Lily, Lucy, and Roxy." She smiled as my mum came into the living room, "How about it Ginny? Shopping with the young girls, downtown?"

My mum smiled brightly and clasped her hands together, "That would be lovely! Oh, I adore muggle clothing."

Fred, Al, and I all groaned, "Should we leave before they start talking about clothes and such?" I asked them and they nodded.

The three of us quickly got up and went outside, not wanting to hear the girls talk anymore.

* * *

"Wait a second, you're engaged?" Albus repeated, staring at Teddy with wide eyes.

Teddy nodded, the smile on his face never faltering, "I told mum and dad," he said, "They're ecstatic. Victoire is telling her parents this week."

Teddy isn't our brother, but he's good as. My dad raised him since he was about three. Seeing him getting married… It was like losing my best friend.

"Is that why you took her to France?" Lily asked, she was grinning at him.

Teddy smiled, "Yes, it is."

"How did you propose?" Albus asked him.

"A few days ago, before we came back home," he started, "After we had dinner at a restaurant in Paris, I took her to the Eiffel Tower. The full moon was up high and the stars looked extra bright. I had the ring in my pocket and I figured it was the perfect time. She was looking up at the Eiffel Tower when I dropped on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes of course and it was one of the happiest moments of my life."

"Oh, Ted, that's so romantic!" Lily brought her hands together.

"When's the wedding?" I asked him.

"We were thinking next summer. She to have a wedding on the beach and I think I want it to be in Paris…" Teddy sighed and rubbed the growing stumble on his chin and cheeks. "We'll have to talk about it but the plan is to be married by the end of next summer.

"I'm happy for you, Ted," I told him, smiling. Albus nodded, agreeing with me.

"Thanks, it means a lot," he replied and sighed. His hair turned into a dull grey, instead of the rich brown he usually wears it. "We're telling the rest of the family during Christmas time… but what if they don't approve? What with the age difference…"

Albus rolled his eyes, "It's only a few years, don't worry about it. They already know you two were dating. I'm sure they'll be happy for the both of you."

Teddy nodded, "Yeah, yeah, of course… I'll let you three get some sleep. You go off to Hogwarts tomorrow, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, third year is sure to be interesting…" I muttered.

Ted patted my head, "Don't worry, James, third year… a lot of things change. For the better, of course. It's going to be fine." He winked and hugged Lily, "Goodnight, I'll owl you lot in a few days."

Teddy got his own apartment last year, he lives somewhere in London. With a smile and a nodded, he apparated with a loud _crack. _I sighed and looked at my siblings, who looked a little down now that he was gone.

"Alright, you two, out of my room. I need sleep," I told them, ushering them out of my room.

"It's not even ten o clock!" Albus argued.

"Well, you're annoying," I replied and shut my door once they were out.

"Goodnight, James!" Lily called out.

With a smile and shook my head, "Night, Lily, sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Jamie," Albus called back in a high pitched voice.

"Shut it, Albus."


	4. The Attack

**Chapter 7**

_Rose's POV_

I waved goodbye to my mum and dad as I boarded the Hogwarts express. I sighed and followed Amelia and Vincent down the aisle, looking for an empty compartment. It didn't take long before we did. I sat across Vincent and next to Amelia, sighing and shutting my eyes.

"I'm exhausted," I said, glancing out the window.

Vincent smiled slightly, "Eleven is too early for you?"

"That's an understatement. I've been waking up at one in the afternoon since the summer holiday started," I told him, shaking my head.

He clicked his tongue, "Ah, and here is Rosie's true self: a smart, but incredible bum who wakes up at one every day."

"In my defense, there was nothing to do," I argued, crossing my arms.

"Rose! You could've come over mine!" Amelia exclaimed, and both Vincent and I looked at her in surprised.

"Really? You'd be okay with that?" I asked, glancing at Vincent.

"Of course!" she replied, as if it was obvious.

Vincent grinned, "Yes, it would be fun."

"We've been looking for you lot for ages!" Albus opened the compartment door and entered with Scorpius.

"Hey, Amelia, Vincent… Weasley," Scorpius said the last word rolling his eyes and I ignored him.

"I lost you on the platform, mate, sorry," Vincent said, "Rose, here, whisked me and my sister away."

I grinned and shook my head, "Oh, please, as I recall, you found _me _and asked me to sit with you two."

"I don't approve of this friendship," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, because everyone needs your approval, Scorp," Vincent replied sarcastically.

"Okay," Albus intercepted the two boys as Scorpius narrowed his eyes at Vincent, "I need sweets from the trolley."

Amelia and I glanced at each other and stifled our smiles.

Dinner that night was spectacular and I was reminded of how much I missed Hogwarts. Louis was place in Hufflepuff, and I spotted him and Lucy talking. I sat next to Amelia and across Ross, talking about our summers. Another boy by the name of Malachai Chang joined our conversation. I wondered why I never spoke to him before, he was an interesting kid. He had an American accent, too.

"Shut it, Nott," a loud voice yelled and almost everyone turned their attention to the Slytherin table.

It was Scorpius who had yelled. Vincent was holding him by the arm and Albus was by Scorpius' side, glaring at Chris Nott. Amelia and I shared a conflicted look and glanced back to the events unfolding.

Chris Nott had a smirk plastered on his face, "Why don't you make me, Malfoy? Oh, wait, I don't want piss off a Death Eater's son" he sneered.

With a yell Scorpius pulled himself away from Vincent pushed Chris, making him stumble a few feet back. Several students gasped and one of the professors stood up. Chris was about to punch Scorpius, but then Albus held him back, so Chris turned and punched Albus instead, the force knocking him down.

Before I knew it, I was racing towards the Slytherin table with Amelia on my heels. I ran to Albus' side and almost fainted at the sight of his bloody nose. I hate seeing blood.

"Nott, you prick!" Amelia yelled sitting next to Albus.

I stood, anger filling me, "Nott, I dare you to touch my cousin again," I said with clenched fist.

He scoffed, "What are you going to do about it?" he said and proceeded to push me into the wall and I winced as my head hit the wall hard.

With a gasp, Amelia jumped on Chris' back and Vincent punched him straight in the nose. Scorpius kneed him in the groin and he crumpled down. Vincent pulled Amelia off him just as Chris jumped on Scorpius and the two began to brawl. I ignored my throbbing head went back to Albus as students egged on the fight.

Vincent was trying to pull Chris and Amelia was trying to drag Scorpius away when the Headmaster stood and yelled, "_Stop it at once!_"

Instantly, every student went to their respected tables except for the six of us. Scorpius and Chris stopped fighting and they both looked terrible. Chris' eye was slowly swelling shut and he had a split lip from where Vincent punched him. Scorpius' cheek was bright red.

"You six, come with me," Headmaster Solomon demanded and walked out the Great Hall.

Amelia and I helped Albus up and helped him walk. Chris walked ahead of us and Vincent and Scorpius behind us. We followed Solomon to his office and stood in front of him as he yelled at us for fighting. He yelled even more about fighting on the first day back.

"Headmaster!" Scorpius interrupted, "Nott started it! He insulted my family name and threw the first punch to Albus, who was trying to hold him back!"

"You pushed me!" Chris argued and Scorpius crossed his arms.

"If you hadn't been insulting his father maybe he wouldn't have!" Albus said. His nose finally stopped bleeding.

"And you two?" Solomon looked at Amelia and I.

"Um, Albus is my cousin and once I saw he'd been hit I went over to him and Nott pushed me into the wall. I hit my head rather hard," I muttered, tenderly touching the back of my head.

"Would you like to see Madam Pomfrey? You, too, Albus Potter?" The headmaster asked.

"I'll go with Rose straight away," Albus said.

Solomon looked at the other three boys and sighed, "I suppose all of you have to see her. After I tell you your punishment. Detention for three weeks."

"Rose and I didn't do anything!" Amelia argued.

"As I recall, you jumped on Chris Nott's back and Rose, you threatened him, am I correct?"

"He gave my cousin a bloody nose! What else was I supposed to do?!" I tried keeping my voice calm.

"Go to a teacher," he responded calmly, "You were all involved so you will all be punished together. End of discussion. Off to Madam Pomfrey, now."

We all trudged out of his office and Chris Nott pushed past Scorpius and walked ahead.

"You guys didn't have to get involved," Scorpius muttered. "And I'm not going to Madam Pomfrey."

"Oh, please, Scorp. You're my best mate, of course I'm getting involved," Vincent replied.

"Yeah, Scorpius, mess with one of us you mess with all of us," Albus added.

Scorpius didn't respond. Amelia and I followed them awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. Albus put him arm around me and muttered a thank you.

"How's your head, Rose?" Vincent asked me, his eyes worried.

"I'll be fine," I told him. Really, it hurt to talk. It was like my voice was so loud, it made my head hurt. It was still throbbing, too, the back of my head.

"Are you sure? You look a little pale," Albus said, studying me.

"I'm fine," I reassured them, shrugging, but the movement made me wince.

"Oh, you're so not fine," Amelia scoffed, "You might have a concussion, Nott did push you pretty hard…"

"You shouldn't have gotten involved," Albus told me firmly.

"Like you said, if you mess with one of us… you mess with all of us. You're my cousin and best friend, Al," I muttered.

"But still, you're about the size of my pinky and I would hate to see you get hurt for defending me," Albus looked extremely worried.

"Well, it happened. Can we forget about me?" I told them and tried not to wince again as my voice was too loud for the pain in my head.

Vincent sighed, "Let's go to Promfrey's. Oh, man, can't wait to see what punishment Filtch has for us."

Amelia groaned, "Oh, he's going to take us to the forbidden forest at least once, for sure."

"Oh, great," Albus mumbled.

I glanced at Scorpius who wasn't saying a word. He was looking down and seemed to be lost in thought, hanging behind us. I slid out of Albus' grasped and slowed down to fall into step with him.

"Whatever Nott said… it's not true," I told him, "You're an okay git and your family is admirable. They _did _save my uncle's life."

He didn't respond. He didn't even look up. I looked away from him, suddenly annoyed. I was trying to make him feel better and he ignores me. Of course.

"Thank you, Weasley."

He spoke so low I wondered if I imagined him saying it.

* * *

"The Forbidden Forest? Is Headmaster Solomon joking?" I exclaimed, pacing back and forth in the hallway.

"It was Filch's idea," Vincent shook his head.

"This is great, bloody wonderful actually," Amelia grumbled, crossing her arms.

"And on a night of a full moon, nonetheless! He's trying to get us killed, I know it," I glared in the direction Solomon had disappeared.

"What do we have to do? Tend the unicorns?" Albus asked, sounding annoyed.

I sat on the floor next to Amelia, "Help Filch find a unicorn that had broken its leg," I told him and scoffed, "More like find our deaths. There's a reason the forest is _forbidden._"

"Would you quit complaining?" Chris Nott groaned and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Would you quit being a prick?" I retorted, standing up.

Vincent pulled me to the side, "No need to get more detentions, Rose. I don't feel like wasting my energy beating him up again to defend you."

"I don't need defending," I told him, pulling away from him.

"Rose, quiet down, Filch is coming," Albus muttered and all of us stood.

"You six, follow me," he mumbled, walking slowly and smoothing down his thinning, greasy hair.

We followed him silently. I glanced at Scorpius, who hadn't been talking as much since the fight a couple days ago. He glanced at me and I quickly looked away. Beside me, Amelia tried hiding her grin and I nudged her, rolling my eyes.

We slowly walked to the Forbidden Forest and my nerves were on edge. The sun had just set and the moon was up in the sky as if it was taunting us.

"We'll split up into teams and look for the unicorn. Yell is you need any of us," Filch muttered and gestured to Chris Nott, "You go with the female Zabini. Malfoy, you're with Weasley. The other two, come with me."

We all looked at each other nervously and broke apart. I followed Scorpius through the forest. I knew he wasn't looking for the unicorn, and I wasn't either since I was wondering why he was so quiet.

"Um, Malfoy, are you okay?" I asked him nervously, biting my lip.

He didn't respond.

"Or you can ignore me... that's cool, too," I muttered and I think he heard me because he glanced at me for about half a second.

We walked around around in silence for a while. I heard a rustle in the trees and turned, studying the dark area closely. Only slightly afraid of whatever was making the noise. I walked through a few thick bushes and gasped when I saw a limping unicorn. It was young and small, to my surprise. Its coat was shiny and white and its it's horn looked smaller than most. One of it's legs were at a strange angle and it when it saw me, it cowered.

"Oh, it's fine, I'm trying to help, that's all," I cooed, bending down slightly and approached it cautiously.

"Weasley?"An annoyed Malfoy called out and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut it, I found the unicorn," I said.

The unicorn seemed to give up on walking and laid down, breathing heavily. Once I was close enough, I went on my knees and slowly stroked the creature while I checked out its leg. Malfoy appeared next to me and crossed his arms, studying the unicorn. He didn't say a word. I bit my lip, I could heal it possibly, but I haven't actually ever performed the spell... I might make it worse.

"I might have a spell..." I muttered to Malfoy, who said nothing. I sighed, annoyed by his useless presence and looked at the unicorn, "Okay, I'm going to fix your leg, okay? You'll be as good as new in a bit. Okay, here we go..." I took out my wand and took a deep breathe while pointing it at the unicorns leg, "_Brackium Emendo._"

It cried out and my heart dropped and my breath caught in my throat. I froze, unsure what to do.

I didn't even realize I was breathing heavily until Scorpius tapped my shoulder and muttered, "I think it worked."

I studied the leg and grinned when I noticed it wasn't at a bad angle anymore. The unicorn stood, as did I, and began to walk in circles, testing out the leg. It had a slight limp but it seemed fine. The unicorn went over to me and let me pet it's head. Then, suddenly, it stopped moving, looked around, and took off in a flash. I stepped back, confused.

"How nice," Scorpius stated dryly.

"That's weird, unless there was immediate danger, the unicorn shouldn't have..."

I trailed off as I felt something staring at me. I turned slowly and paled. I was facing a wolf-like creature. Black and gray fur covered it's body and it growled at us, it's teeth almost glowing white and saliva dripping down from it's mouth disgustingly. It's paws were on the ground but it's claws visible and fear made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It breathed heavily, it's chest rose up and down dramatically.

"_Stupefy!_" I yelled with my wand pointed at the werewolf.

A red beam escaped my wand and hit the creature, which stumbled back and fell. It growled and slowly got up. Scorpius grabbed my arm tightly and ran, dragging me along with him.

Branches smacked my face and I tripped multiple times as Scorpius and I ran through the forest. I could hear Scorpius' breathing, as well as the werewolf behind us, which was getting closer with every step. I was terrified and warn tears went down my cheeks as I came to the fact that we could die.

My heart literally stopped and time slowed as my foot caught in a thick root and my hand slipped from Scorpius's hand. I landed on the ground hard and on my chest. I cried out and tried to scramble up. Pain erupted on my back and shoulder as the werewolf raked it's claws across me. The force of it threw me over.

"_Immobulus!_" Scorpius's wand was pointed at the werewolf and his hand was shaking like crazy. The werewolf slowed to the the point that it wasn't even moving and with a shaky voice, Scorpius casted another spell, "_Confringo_."

It burst into flames and my eyes went blurry as the adrenaline left my body and the real pain sunk in. My shoulder and back burned terribly, with every movement another shot of pain went across my back. I can feel the gash opening even more as I tried to stand and withhold my sobbing. Scorpius seemed to realize I was there and ran to my said and said something, but I couldn't hear him over the loud ringing in my ears. Black spots appeared in my vision as Scorpius touched my back and pulled his hand back, which was bloody. Bloody with _my blood. _The pain was unbearable and I cursed as Scorpius tried to lift me up.

"-Have to leave, _now_ Weasley! Do you want to die?!" Scorpius yelled, to my surprise I could hear him.

He lifted me up to my feet and grabbed my hand. At once we began running, leaving the burning creature behind. Every step her and I tried not to cry out. Tears streamed down my face and couldn't stop as the two of us ran. My back and shoulder felt like it was on fire but Scorpius urged me to keep running. Once we ran into the others, who had regrouped, I felt myself slip away. I felt myself fall and everything went black.


End file.
